We at The Practice were a little late to update our iPhone operating systems to iOS7, mostly because we were wary after reports of bugs were mentioned. Plus, the update also meant we had to filter out and delete a few of our apps in order to gain more storage space- something which took some careful consideration!

However, it was a good move- the team love the new look and feel of the improved software. The lack of skeuomorphism gives the design a modern and flat appearance, and we love the gradient of colours that comes with the new interface. While some have argued that the redesign is a little too reminiscent of Samsung with elements of Windows Vista, we think that nevertheless, the look is very “Apple”- and the “Apple” look of the future no doubt. The typeface is of course, the most noticeable difference- a thinner Helvetica Neue Ultra Light, (which is actually one of our favourites and most used fonts amongst the design team!) The result is an uncluttered screen making room for the clean lines to show through. And this minimal look is enhanced by an apparent lack of buttons in favour of plain text and apps that almost have a “translucent” feel.

The new Control Center is also more accessible, allowing you to swipe the screen upwards from the bottom- this of course means access to your Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Brightness settings, music controls, Airplane mode and other useful features within a second. And when you swipe downwards from the top, this instantly brings up the new Notification centre for your calendar, weather, and any alerts. With alerts all in one place, it feels like you’re being organized by an assistant rather than simply inundated with missed calls and messages. We also love the fact that AirDrop has been added as a feature of the Control Center. Airdrop lets you send photos or documents without the need to share them via text or email in one quick and easy step- all you have to do now is press “share”, followed by the recipient’s name, and the data is sent via WiFi or Bluetooth. What could be easier than that?!

Most of all, we love the fact that everything seems to function better than it did before. Safari, for instance, offers unlimited tabs which means we’ll be relying a lot more on our smart phones for browsing than we did before- it feels akin to browsing on your desktop although of course on a smaller screen. Apps themselves have been redesigned, with Mail, for instance, having been smartened up, and iTunes Radio having been added to Music. And we particularly love that the camera app now gives us the option to add filters! Furthermore, we like the fact that your other apps appear and move past as you open up one, which creates a stylish and user-friendly transition between home screen and app. To top it all off, your apps are displayed in a “conveyor belt” rotation so everything is within reach of one touch of your thumb. Call us lazy, but convenience has got to be everything when it comes to technology!

Have you updated to iOS7? What do you think of the new design, usability and improved features? And if you haven’t already updated, we’d definitely recommend doing so! We’d love to hear your thoughts as always, so please tweet to us @PracticeDigital and share your comments on our Facebook page.